North Bay Stage Company's CABARET Opens July 25th at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts

It's time to return to the Kit Kat Klub in the new 1998 version of the Tony Award musical, CABARET. First time to be performed in the North Bay, the show includes two very different portrayals of the Emcee as director John DeGaetano's production of the musical officially opens July 25th at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts.

DeGaetano told Broadway World, "there are a variety of reasons why theater-goers will want to see this version of the show, it's fun, two new songs, it's different and really... it just feels like you're set back to 1931 with all the surroundings, including the sights, sounds, taste and smells for that matter of an actual Cabaret. It really is another generation of people who are going to be seeing this newer version for the first time... and I wanted to do something that would capture the audience mentally to this specific time in history." DeGaetano's previous directorial work includes such large productions as Les Miserables, Evita, Chicago and Cats to name a few.

Bay Area performers; Michelle Jasso as nightclub singer Sally Bowles, Pedro Rodelas and Bonnie Jean Shelton share the role of the Emcee in alternating performances and David Strock as Cliff Bradshaw for a this 3 week limited production run through August 10th. Joining them is Frances Rennie as Fraulein Schneider, veteran actors Len Improta as Herr Schultz, Mark Molina as Ernst Ludwig and Nicole Thordsen as Fraulein Kost.

Broadway World award nominee John DeGaetano (director) and Melinda Murray (choreographer) and the band's musical director Les Pfutzenreuter join forces again to recreate the upcoming production. The show is part of North Bay Stage Company's new season, as the crew will convert The Carston Cabaret space at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts into the gritty Kit Kat Klub, with cabaret-type seating as well as some traditional seating to recreate the environment of the notorious pre-war Berlin nightclub. The group plans several other productions during their season.

Rounding out the cast as the Kit Kat Klub Boys, Girls and others are - Ayrick Broin, Melinda Murray, Chrissy Cease, Emily DeGaetano, Melany Katz, Serena Elize Flores, Sigrid Forsythe, Andrea Silverstein, Lhasa Summers, Sarah-Rose, Wentling, Jeffrey Schmidt, Shaotian Cai, Erik Weiss, Ryan Whitlock, Paul MacKinnon, Danielle Fisk and Bret Palmer.

An array of seasoned crew join the cast in-house with stage management headed by Kristen Corderman along with Ayrick Broin, including set/club design team by Rich Hone and costume design by Pam Enz's. The 1998 production of Cabaret won four Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Actor and Best Actress in a Musical. The production played for six years. Cabaret premiered on Broadway in 1966 and won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Cabaret features a book by Joe Masteroff, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. It is based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood.

North Bay Stage Company is a resident theatre company of Wells Fargo Center for the Arts and is located at 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa, CA. Tickets: can be purchased online at wellsfargocenterarts.org, by phone at 707-546-3600 and at WFCA box office - open 7 days, noon to 6pm. For more information about North Bay Stage Company, visit their website northbaystageco.org.